Governor denies parole to former Manson follower

LOS ANGELES The enduring mystery of why a handful of young people followed Charles Manson appeared to be part of Gov. Jerry Brown's decision Friday to keep Bruce Davis in prison.

Brown said he wants Davis, who has been behind bars for 42 years, to come clean about all the details of his involvement with Manson's cult and the killings of a stuntman and a musician.

It was the second time in less than three years that a governor has rejected a parole board ruling in Davis' case. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger refused his release in 2010, citing the heinous nature of Davis' crimes and his efforts to minimize his involvement.

Brown repeated those reasons in a six-page decision but added his belief that Davis still has more to say about the killings.

“Until Davis can acknowledge and explain why he actively championed the Family's interests and shed more light on the nature of his involvement, I am not prepared to release him,” Brown said.

“After 42 years of incarceration, it is encouraging that Davis is beginning to reveal the actual details of what happened. But it is clear that he continues to withhold information about these events,” Brown said.

The parole board cited the prisoner's progress when it approved release of the 70-year-old Davis, but Brown had the last word.

Brown revealed his decision at the downtown Los Angeles County courthouse after a meeting with District Attorney Jackie Lacey, who had recommended that Davis not be paroled.

Davis' attorney, Michael Beckman, called the governor's decision “horrible” and said Davis has told everything he knows.

“I have represented over 700 life prisoners and of all of them, Bruce Davis is the most rehabilitated and qualified,” Beckman said.

He said Brown's “paper review” of the case was insufficient to understand who Davis is today.

Brown said “the evidence … shows why he currently poses a danger to society if released from prison.” But Beckman said that the governor failed to articulate any reason why Davis might pose a danger now.

If the problem has to do with the Manson family, he said, “They should pass a law saying if you were involved with these people you can't get out. But there is no such law.”

Davis would have been only the second Manson-related murder defendant to be granted parole since the slayings that began in 1969.

He was not involved in the notorious Sharon Tate-LaBianca killings but was convicted with Manson and others in the murders of musician Gary Hinman and stuntman ranch hand Donald “Shorty” Shea.

Manson was a direct participant in both killings, according to witnesses.

Steve Grogan, another participant in those murders, was released in 1985 after he led police to where the bodies were buried in the San Fernando Valley.

Beckman noted that Grogan, a central figure in the killings, has lived as an upstanding citizen for 27 years with no problems since his release.

Davis was 30 when he was sentenced to life in prison in 1972 in the case, which was a postscript to Manson's notorious reign as leader of the murderous communal cult.

Davis long maintained that he was a bystander in the killings of the two men. But in recent years, he has said his presence may have emboldened others to act.

Brown said Davis' refusal to fully acknowledge his responsibility for the killings was central to his decision.

“I do not believe that Davis was just a reluctant follower who passively went along with the violence,” Brown wrote.

“Davis was older, more experienced, he knew what the Manson Family was capable of, and he knowingly and willingly took part in these crimes.”

Davis became a born-again Christian in prison and ministered to other inmates, married a woman he met through the prison ministry, and has a grown daughter. The couple recently divorced.

He also received a master's degree and a doctorate in philosophy of religion. Brown commended him for his self-help efforts but said the work was outweighed by other factors.

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